PM Calls For A National Dialogue To Achieve The Aspirations Of The Iraqi People

Baghdad / NINA /- Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi called for a national dialogue to be a conduit to achieve the aspirations of the Iraqi people In a speech addressed to the Iraqis on the occasion of the conclusion of the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Iraq, Al-Kadhimi said: "With all grace and appreciation the people of Iraq today bid farewell to His Holiness, Pope Francis, with the same love, generosity and human authenticity he received." He added, "This dear, generous visit, with all the signs of welcome and national unanimity that it was full of the success of its noble purposes, represented a bright point that embodied the essence of our loving, sincere, civilized people who believed in the values of justice and peace." Al-Kadhimi continued: "The message of His Holiness the Pope has reached all parts of the world, as he wanders with a heart full of hope in the beloved cities of Iraq, and the message of our people has reached all the peoples of the earth to say: We, the people of Iraq ... the people of history and civilization, we have suffered many wars .. and the blood dripped on our land until it saturated... and death spread through decades its black shadows in our homes ... and the crow of weapons, corruption, terrorism and hatred ravaged our lands, but our authentic metal did not rust, because the spirit of life, love of peace, and adherence to human values have not rusted, we have nothing but great human meanings in our souls. We have lived together for more than six thousand years and we are still together. " He pointed out: "Iraq is facing a real opportunity to restore its historical role in the region and the world despite all obstacles and challenges, and we, as a government, are committed to the will of our people to achieve security, peace, reconstruction and prosperity. We hold hand in hand with the multiplicity of our religions, doctrines and nationalities as the hands of His Eminence Sistani and His Holiness the Pope. Iraq is the message of humanity and peace, Iraq is the crown of tolerance, and Baghdad is the city of peace and the platform of the intellectual movement, and on the basis of this historical responsibility, and in the atmosphere of love and tolerance promoted by the visit of His Holiness the Pope to the land of Iraq, the land of Mesopotamia, we present today the call for a (national dialogue), to be a pathway to achieve the aspirations of our people ". The Prime Minister called on all the different political forces, popular and youth protesters, and opponents of the government, to the table of responsible dialogue before our people and before history. He also called on political forces and parties to give priority to the interests of the homeland and to move away from the language of convulsive rhetoric and political fallacy, to prepare for the success of early elections, and to give our people the opportunity to hope and trust in the state and the democratic system. Al-Kadhimi addressed the youth, saying: “Our Iraqi youth, our youth everywhere, I realize the extent of your suffering, your ambitions, and the injustice that befell you, but we have to be patient and unite, for the sake of Iraq and for the sake of the homeland and for the sake of the future that befits our generations, and that is why the government needs enough time to protect Iraq and arranging our national Iraqi home, "stressing:" The tension in the situation is not in the interest of the country, and sufficient time must be given to the government to build to be added to what have been achieved during the last period, and to secure the elections on sober and fair bases. " He called, with all sincerity, the opposition to an open and frank dialogue with the government on the basis of the country's interest, security and sovereignty, and on the basis of preserving the security of Iraq, supporting the state and the rule of law. He pointed out that "the strategic dialogue initiated by the government on arrangements for cooperation with the international coalition is based mainly on creating the environment and timings for the removal of all combat forces from the land of Iraq, within the framework of agreed-upon technical mechanisms while preserving the best relations with the coalition countries, in a manner that guarantees the sovereignty and security of Iraq." Regarding the relationship with the Kurdistan region, Al-Kadhimi called for a true and deep national dialogue, at all official, party and popular levels, to reach a framework for a final agreement on the relationship between the central government and the Kurdistan region in a way that preserves the unity of the Iraqi territories, and addresses the accumulated problems radically. On foreign relations, he explained that: “The government, since its formation, has embarked on restoring Iraq's external relations and founding to restore Iraq to its natural position and its regional weight internationally, and we have made advanced steps in this field. The visit of His Holiness the Pope was to reinforce these steps. We have succeeded in making Iraq a gateway for understanding and communication between many countries in the region, and there is an international readiness to support Iraq in the economic reform project, after we succeeded in crossing the economic crisis " He called on all Iraq's brothers, from neighbors and friends to: "consolidate the values of peace and cooperation among the countries of the region and banish the specter of wars, disagreements and conflicts that will not serve our peoples of a common history." Al-Kadhimi affirmed: "Iraq is fully prepared to play an effective role in devoting the calm and opening the doors for dialogue to solve the region’s crises, and for everyone to be partners in development not a focus of disagreement and conflicts. He added that "Iraq insisted on its refusal to be an arena for external conflicts," noting: "The logic of cooperation and brotherhood is the only acceptable one for our people and Iraq. " He continued: "On your behalf, I extend my thanks and appreciation to all those who contributed to the success of the historic visit of His Holiness the Pope to the land of Iraq, from governmental institutions, popular and political forces, and I thank on your behalf all of you His Holiness the Pope who loved Iraq and the people of Iraq, and touched on the kindness, depth and authenticity of this great and powerful people with its diversity. We thank His Holiness for every word of fairness towards our people, every call for dialogue, tolerance and peace that he delivered throughout our beloved Iraq, and for every emotional interaction with the challenges that this people faces. Al-Kadhimi concluded his speech by saying: “You are Iraq, on your footsteps human civilizations lived, converged and spread love, thought and science. You are Sumer, Babylon, Akkadian and Assyria. You are the extension of the past, the present, the future, you are the Iraq of the prophets, imams, saints, scholars and innovators, and you are the renewed hope and the makers of life ... and long live for Iraq ./ End